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James Allen reported Friday morning that the hiring of Robbin Williams as Albany High football coach has been put on hold so the school could take a closer look at his resume. Should the school still hire Williams?

Plays of the year: Bracket No. 2

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Shenendehowa's Ryan McCart

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Mohonasen's Charles Stone

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Bishop Maginn's Javon Williams

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Hoosick Falls' Tanner Williams

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Robbin is a first class, top notch Man . Albany players may lose a great opportunity to have long overdue success. THIS is a travesty.
He was not being hired as a player but as a COACH . The IMPORTANT history of Robbin should be looked at NOT did He have tryouts for pro teams . This should NOT have happened.

I vote yes Robbin would be a very positive black role model for a troubled Albany football program. Debating whether he was with a team for a few days or 1 week 20 years ago seems like a stretch. James, this isn’t Watergate and you are not Woodward or Bernstein. Do you have a personal agenda ? I believe Albany High School would be very lucky to get someone with Robbin’s knowledge and love for the game walking into what he knows is a very difficult situation at the school; it’s not like he is taking over Shen or LaSalle.

Everyone lies on resumes. If you dent that, you are just kidding yourself. You want to win? Hire the guy. Or do You want a good-two shoes that maybe willgive you a win or two for the season? Then visit the 700 club for some chump.

They should hire someone passionate about the school and the community….and that person is AHS alum Chris Poulopoulos (Coach POPS). A dedicated weight room coach with a great reputation with the kids. Just my thoughts!

I have known Robbin for years. He is an outstanding man whose only interest here is the kids. He has been a great coach for many years throughout the Capital District and he can motivate this team to excell. I would be proud to have him coach either of my sons in any sport.
This writer is damaging this fine man’s reputation. I hope Robbin sues this newspaper for the slander he has written.

This is ridiculous. This poor man is being vilified for trying to do something to serve the youth. This team hasn’t won a game in forever and when they finally get a chance at a decent shot with a good man for a coach, this happens. And by the way, I cannot vote as somehow this has closed out. Wonder why?
Give this man a chance to help our kids out. This is exactly why good men do not step up, so they do not get stepped on!
My vote even though you won’t seem to let me vote, is YES, keep ROBBIN!!!

They should definitely hire Robbin. This doesn’t look like a misrepresentation of his coaching qualifications but maybe an exaggeration of his playing experience. I have seen Robbin coach football firsthand. He is a great guy, has terrific football knowledge and the boys absolutely loved him. He set high standards for discipline, committment and effort and was completely dedicated to his players. He would be a great fit at Albany and could really help revitalize that program. And he never talked to the boys about his playing days. So he did not use these supposed exaggerations to bolster his credibility as a coach. He would make a great coach at Albany High.

The point is not whether or not he spent less time at a pro tryout than he claimed, the point is that he misrepresented himself unnecessarily on his resume using gross exaggerations. Why did he need to exaggerate his playing experience? His coaching experience and references alone would probably be enough to get him the job. The question must be asked as to why he decided to lie and what kind of example this is going to set on impressionable young men (most of whom live in difficult circumstances as it is). Setting an example that it is OK to bend, twist and hide the truth is not the type of example a role model needs to be setting for high school students, especially when the culture that they grew up and live in pressures them to lie to avoid “snitching” (as someone who works in an inner city school district, I can say from experience that the concept of “snitching” goes far beyond people who commit serious crimes; kids will steadfastly refuse to answer even the simplest of questions about another person to avoid “snitching”). I applaud the Albany City School District for taking a closer look at this candidate to decide whether or not this is an example they want to give to their students. Even if Coach Williams is hired, hopefully he will learn enough from this brouhaha that he will value absolute honesty and the kind of message his actions will send more in the future.

This man wants to Coach Albany High and is on hold because of Your not finding information from 20 years ago from a 1 or 2 day tryout?? Are You kidding Me !! You really need a juicy,dirty story then find out WHY last years Coach ” resigned ” then You will have something to write about. Look into that and see what you’ll find.

If you exaggerate on your resume – it may help to put you on the top of the pile – it is not fair nor is it ethical – if one does this to gain an unfair advantage then they should be out of the process – simple.

The TU and Albany School District are doing nothing wrong in pointing out that he misrepresented his experience on his resume.

He could still be hired if he can still be a positive influence on the players.

Not everyone lies on their resumes, and yes people can be fired if they are found to have lied. There is a man going to jail for 1-3 years for misrepresenting his experience and accomplishments as a stock broker. He claimed that he had made high value trades and worked for another broker, the company gave him a huge bonus and he spent the money and laid around the office and did not go out and sell anything, then it ws found out that although he worked at the other brokerage it was not in the capacity that he claimed. He has been ordered to pay back the money and 1-3 years.

I do not know the man personally but now that his lies have been exposed, lets look at whether he is the best coach, or is the school district looking to hire him based on some other attribute.

I can’t believe that people are all right with this. “Every one lies on a resume” is one comment. Wow, how would you like your dentist to have lied they went to dental school. Or your kids teacher to lie about going to college. I know its apples and oranges but come on. If he misrepresented himself to get a coaching job, whats that say about his integrity. I don’t know this guy at all, I’ve never met him, I’m sure he’s the best coach around, but you’ve all met people that have told tall tales to make themselves look something that they’re not. How do you honestly feel about them? Personally I wouldn’t care if he spent a day with a pro team, if hes a good coach then he should get the job on that merit. Why lie about playing on a team? He didn’t say he tried out and practiced with them, he said he was on the teams. What will he be telling the kids at practice? Didn’t a coach get canned by Notre Dame a few years back for misrepresenting himself on a resume. George O’Leary said he had a degree and played 3 years of college football when in fact he did neither. He never even played in a game at UNH.He was a good coach, won lots of games at Georgia Tech, but he lied. How can a kid look up to a coach that does that. I’ve been a coach for 22 years, the kids look up to coaches as role models. You’re not only teaching football but your trying to teach them to be solid citizens,to grow up to be a productive person. Football helps mold them in so many ways to do just that. It seems almost everyone on this blog just cares about Albany winning games and getting a football coach. We’ll how about getting a football coach that can win games and be respected at the same time? Or who cares if they don’t win a lot of games but are respected and teach the kids to respect others, to finish school and be a good human being. For me, that’s my choice for my kids, its not always about winning. Why would anyone compromise their integrity and morals against a game? The TU is the messenger here, don’t you want to know who’s coaching your kids? If he was a criminal everyone would be saying great job TU, thanks for exposing him. He’s not a criminal but he misrepresented himself and I for one would never want him teaching my kid anything!

Robin knows the sport, plain and simple. However, I have to agree with #10. He should not have mis represented himself on his resume as it does put a dark cloud over his head. We need to teach our youth to be open and honest because eventually it will catch up to you. To comment on #6 and #11… Being a corrections officer should have no bearing on this decesion. I don’t understand how racism comes into play here. Both comments are ludicris and should be deleted…..

If Albany hires him after this story they would be in the wrong. Regardless of how good a coach this man may be, he lied and was caught. If hired, the message to the kids will be that its OK if you lie. Its that simple. I hope that the Albany admin. realizes that is the wrong message to send. When working with kids and setting standards you have to be beyond reproach. This is not a “Do as I say, not as I do” situation.

I PLAY AT THE HIGH, I WAS EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT COACH WILLIAMS COMING IN, THIS HAS TO HAPPEN, FOR OUR FOOTBALL TEAM, AND FOR THE CITY OF ALBANY. HE HAS EXPERIENCE AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL AND THIS IS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR TEAM.

# 2 Mike, what does his color have to do with anything ? a good role model is a good role model and lying is not part of being a good role model. If he was such a good coach and has coached at local schools he should have stayed with that and not everyone lies on their resume.

And lets be clear – he didn’t “exaggerate” just once – saying he was in training camp for 6 professional teams??????? That is blatant misrepresentation and yes – lying! This sends the wrong message to the kids right from the beginning. They need someone they can respect.
And the racism card should not be discussed – at no time did the article mention race – it focused on his resume…and I agree – not everyone lies on their resume.

I say give him a shot. I have sat back and watched my son give 150% for four years and NOT win a single football game with the Albany football program. The Albany program needs someone who can reach these kids and give them a sense of hope that they can win and they deserve to win. Mr. Williams seems to have the right qualities to steer our young men in the right direction. His shouldn’t have embellished his playing experience, true. But does this disqualify him as a coach?? I say NO, it doesn’t. This job, Albany High varsity football coach, is definitely going to be a challenge to whomever gets the position. I find his decision to tackle such a challenge, for the sake of the kids and program to be honorable. GIVE HIM A CHANCE!!

Unless you have seen the actual resume and are familiar with his experience you cannot characterize it as a “lie.” If the resume says “1988 – Washington Redskins” and he was there with the team in some capacity, is that a “lie?” It is up to the prospective employer to ask him in what capacity he was there. Years ago I worked for an employer that is fairly prestigious in my field but in a low level position. If my resume says I was there am I “lying” because I wasn’t the CEO? Or is it fair to say that I was there and learning from the top people in my field? I know Robbin. He coached my son for several years. He is a terrific coach and was a great role model for my son and all the young men on his teams. He would be great coach for Albany High and should be hired.

i will take the job and do it for the love of football and for the love of Albany High School. Not for the money i already have a job that pays me.
So hire me i would teach the kids about repect and about how to learn to win you have to work hard, even when you lose. You get right back up and learn more and practice more, and step by step you reach the goal you set as a TEAM something they been lacking there for YEARS.

I have known Robbin for years and I think he would be an excellent coach for Albany High. He has the experience and is a willing mentor for kids who may not get any kind of direction at home. Albany High has been through enough, if he has the coaching creditials (which he does), and the kids love him (which they do), the school team can’t be any worse off than they are now. It seems like a lot of investigative work for a high school football team position…not that anyone has ever accused the TU of not being objective or anything.

This panel of 15 that did the interviewing, was very thorough. You can be sure that he had to explain to what extent he was involved in all of those teams. The specifics of his experience may seem to have been misrepresented on his resume, but I’m sure that the panel went in to depths with Mr. Williams regarding the aspects included. The hiring process was not a fly by night decision. I’m sure that the principal, AD and everyone else involved in this process have made an informed decision. The delay in process is merely due to the TU trying to find fault in EVERYTHING Albany High related. Mr. Williams is just an unfortunately pawn in the media’s unrelenting campaign to smear AHS’s reputation.

Let’s all remember that coaching is not just about on field coaching. You need to set an example for the kids and coaching is about teaching them to be successful in life. He didn’t just “say he was on a team.” He said 6 different NFL teams and playing for the Conquest for two years when he only played a month…gimme a break.

to # 21 color has everything to do with it. an inner city school that can have a qualified black head coach is a huge plus, if you know anything about the deomgraphics of the school or the program you know more than 80% of the kids on that team are black and most come from single parent(mom) homes who are looking for a positive influence. Robbin and his staff are the men for a very troubled program

I say if he is trully sorry he should apologize for embellishing on his resume (if he did – the TU likes to drum up anything they can) and let his teams record and what he does around the community decide whether he stays for another year or not. He has an awesome background and was once a very good player, give him a chance!

I think that they should hire him. Like it was mentioned before, he loves the game, loves the kids and would be a great addition to the program. Now, it bothers me that the times union would make this out to be another “watergate” when so many things are so much more important to report on. This should not be that big of a deal.

Some of you people are making WAY too much out of this story. The guy got tryouts for pro teams- who the hell cares how long they lasted? Think about what people are arhuing about here. Yeah I realize its dishonest, blah blah blah. If the guy put on his resume that he got a PhD from Harvard and founded Microsoft, well then sure, maybe that’s a problem if you were looking for a president of your company or something. I think the TU should go through and look at EVERY coach’s resume in the area, just to fair here. I’m certain you will see all sorts of ‘fibs’ like this one. I know of Williams, I used to play for the Mallers in Albany and he was around the team at some point in the past, and was one of the better players around this area hands down. The tryout(s) are not lies, this guy was that good. Again, I don’t think the things on the resume here warrant an investigation by the TU and Albany HS, they have WAY more important things to worry about. I’m curious as to why the TU even started this?

You should not hire this guy if he’s a liar because he will just keep lieing. Albany lost a golden opportunity when Pete Porcelli got fired, or FORCED to resign because he broke a window. (Big deal, he just should of paid for it and then be done with it). If you want a great football program at Albany High School you should bring back Pete Porcelli, he is the right man for the job. My son would always tell me how he is going to make such a great program and now he’s gone. I know he is still up for taking the job back, so Albany High better hurry and get Porcelli back before it’s too late and Albany goes 0-9 again!

To #27. No, I would not have a problem with him coaching my son. You see it as a “LIE”, I continue to see it as an embellishment, and as humans, we are all guilty of that in one way or another. At Albany High you have a very diverse group of students, but the reality is that the majority of the football players are minorities. It is very difficult for people to relate to one another when they haven’t experienced the same things in life. Mr. Williams is just the type of role model I want for my son. Someone who went to college, played football, coached football and has had the same job for 22 years. I don’t see anything wrong with any of that. If his worse crime is EMBELLISHING his playing time as a player after college, I’d like to take my chances that his positives outweigh his embellishments.

I’m not saying that it would be a huge plus to have a qualified black head coach, however, that doesn’t mean we overlook the fact that he completely lied.

And #29 – I am sure they did a very thorough job. If they asked him about his playing experience in the interview he probably lied then. Otherwise, they would have already know of the “exaggerations” in his resume.

Why don’t all of you people who apparently have all the time in the world between 8am and 12pm on a FRIDAY walk in and tell your boss that you are wasting company money and time to post on this. Personally…go get a real job or be more efficient at the one you have. THIS is what is wrong with this COUNTRY. I agree with free speech but you know what! Do it on your own time not your company’s. Seriously people get a life!!! I wonder how everyone’s employer would feel about this blatant waste of time! Perhaps this is why every other country is “spanking” us in math, science, and engineering. We are WAY too concerned with sports. Why don’t you focus on getting your kids the education they deserve!!! Let sports take the back seat where it belongs! Sports certainly will not turn our dying economy around but perhaps EDUCATION can!!!!

Wake up people this man is not a good example for are students ,all Iread is we haven,t won a game in so long .AHS has had plenty of good coachs ,THem players have got to want to win show up for practicsas well as good grades .THis story is like are elected officals lie and misrepresent the people who put them there YOU WILL WIN WHEN YOU PUT IT ALGETHER. DUCKY

HIRE ROBBIN! I was Robbin’s Head Football Coach when he played for the Albany Metro-Mallers. I personally arranged for the tryouts they are questioning and also attended many of those tryouts with Robbin. This is a class individual who would be a tremendous asset to any High School Football Program. These tryouts were legit! I have contacted the reporter by phone msg. & email with NO REPLY!! Does he want the TRUTH or is this just some irresponsible witch hunt being perpetrated by a less than reputable media clown??

Reading the initial wave of comments was a lot more disturbing than anything Mr. Williams may or may not have done. It’s not about whether he can coach, it’s about having some degree of integrity.

Contrary to post #3, everybody does not lie on their resumes. Only liars do that. Many college coaches have been fired for doing just that… George O’Leary at Notre Dame comes to mind immediately.

When you take into account what these lies consisted of – getting tryouts for pro teams and being on a local arena league team – Why would you lie about near-worthless things like that? Those aren’t exactly Rhodes scholarship claims, and those kinds of lies sound almost pathological.

I don’t care whether the man gets the job or not, but hearing people spout on about how lying and fabricating doesn’t matter says a lot about where our culture is heading.

Maybe it’s a generational thing, but not being truthful has consequences, and consequences have to be faced and dealt with. If the reported exaggerations are accurate, there is no possibility these assertions were not deliberate attempts to artificially fake his resume’.

The one thing this school does not need is people in positions of authority being given a pass for obvious breaches in behavior.

I have known Robbin Williams for over 25 years. I not only played on the Metro Mallers with Robbin, I had the pleasure of coaching him as head coach of the 85 Mallers. Last year Robbin and I were again re-united when we both coached at HVCC. I know his family and can honestly say I have every bit of respect for him. He is as honest as the day is long. He is a family man and a role model for his children. He has demonstrated a true concern for every athelte he has ever dealt with. His nomination as head coach was a step in the right direction for a troubled Albany High program. There is no question about his accomplishments as a player. Anyone who knows the process of tryouts knows there is no paper trail if a contract is not signed. Besides, It’s about the coaching experinece and the character of the man not what he accomplished as a player. This sounds like some trumped up policial conflict that has affected the life’s of a good man and a community desperatly in need of a true leader. I vote YES.

First off my father should be the coach of Albany High’s football team.
Second my father has the experience and the knowledge of the game of football. I remember being with him during his tryouts for the Cleveland Browns. I remember walking into this huge building and looking down and seeing the logo of the Browns in the center of the floor. I remember going to many games when he played for the Metro Mallers, I also remember bringing my friends to games when he played Kingston Panthers my dad knows this game in and out. I swear he knows this game better than he knows himself, but fact remains that he is an excellent coach who has a passion to help kids become something of their selves.
So let the man coach and stop dragging his name and his credibility through the mud.

I am in complete awe of some of the comments here. I particularly like the mention that Robbin could be a “very positive black role model”. Wait just a moment – dont make this about race, because it isn’t. This is about right and wrong, about truth and lying. Maybe Robbin would be a GREAT coach. But, if this is the case, he should let the TRUTH and the FACTS speak for themselves. What this proves is that the man himself feels that he does not deserve the position based on his accomplishments – so he must embellish the truth. This is no way to start a relationship. I say NO.

Post the resume and let everyone decide for themselves if he lied or not. If the tu can’t post it then Robbin should post it himself. I think there are alot of questions surrounding the AHS football program that need to be answered. What is the truth about why Porcelli left,no rumors, just the truth. I have’nt read any where in the tu about this,unless I missed it. Why four coaches in four years? If the tu wants to investigate something lets look into all the resumes of everyone working in the Albany schools? Can we get anything right in this school district? If Robbin is hired it will be and uphill battle to get the program back on track, but if he can do it and get the players and students to take pride in there football team it will go a long way to instilling some pride and respect in AHS.

If Williams’ meets the requirements and has the background then he certainly should be given the chance. How can we vote on this is we do not know all the facts about his resume. Some of the “Highs” sports programs have gotten weaker over the years and there are two reasons that i know of.
1. The Catholic schools are recruiting these kids in 5-6 grade promising a good education. Albany High offers a great education if the students want it. Having coached kids for over 17 years I’ve seen one particular catholic school at many games talking/recruiting with parents. How do some of these families afford to send their children to these schools? I know I couldn’t at the time.
2, The fear that parents and guardians have about sending their kids to AHS. Everytime the school farts it makes the news.

There are a few issues at play here. The first is knowing the hiring policy of the school district when it is discovered someone emblished their application during the hiring process.

The second issues is finding someone who will last more than a season. As a parent of a high school junior who has played with three different coaches in as many years, I wonder why people do not stay longer than a year. There seems to be continuity in the other AHS sports. The kids who play football also participate in other sports in the winter and fall. Those coaches work with the same kids and they return every year.

I have no doubt that Mr. Williams has the talent and the skills necessary to be a good coach. In addition, I know that the 14 people on the search committee asked important questions and were very thoughtful during the search process. They did their best.

But as a parent, I want the people teaching and coaching my son to be talented, caring, dedicated, and ethical. My son and all of his team mates on the Falcons football team deserve to have a talented, caring, dedicated, ethical coach who will stay more than a few months.

He sent me the first email at 12:34 and my response was sent at 1:18 — 26 minutes before his blog post. He responded to my first email at 2:37 and sent my response at 2:59 — and then talked to him on the phone five minutes later.

This is exactly the type of thing that discourages good people from giving their time and energy to help the kids at AHS. I am not sure what the real agenda is here but it is definately not to make sure that these kids experience success with a fine role model–it is basically a volunteer position–hopefully AHS will be allowed to do the right thing for the program and let Robin coach

It seems quite simple. If he lied, he should not be hired. He didn’t miss one date, but multiple. He didn’t “embellish” once, but multiple times. How can he stand in front of his football team, tell them the team rules and have any of them believe they will be applied fairly, justly and equally to all? And quite frankly, to lie about the playing experience is a lack of good judgement. He should have let his coaching experience/record speak for itself.

It’s too bad because I would think everyone who has commented want the best for the school. But accepting nothing but the best, which includes integrity, does not provide the best.

How come nobody has mentioned that guy George O’Leary at Notre Dame from a couple of years ago. He lied on his resume and got fired. SAME THING HERE. There has got to be somebody else better for this job. And how come it takes James Allen to figure this out? What is the matter with the people at Albany High?

why TU acting as he has a criminal background? Is this really a big deal? come on TU is this what you guys are talkin about in on your homepage? Aren’t there other things going on in the world as we speak??

I can’t believe that people want this guy hired after it is proven that he lied on his application/resume. That’s what’s wrong with this world – no one is held responsible for their actions. As a hiring supervisor I know that there is a blurb on applications that states “I acknowledge that all statements contained herein are true”. Then the applicant signs it. He is nothing but a liar plain and simple. I wouldn’t want him coaching my kid!!! And, as a school-tax-paying homeowner in Albany, I don’t want to pay him!! While we’re at it – the Albany High football program is a disgrace and I don’t want to pay for it anymore. It costs way too much money to run a high school football program and these tough economic times and the state in which this program continues, I say get rid of it!!! If this isn’t “taxation without representation” I don’t what is.

playing for the high, I’ve seen first hand how unfair it is to me and my teammates these past few years. he would be a good coach in my opinion. obviously it would be nice to see Porcelli back to finish what he started, and we all thought he was different, he was gonna b the one to stay, but no… no one cares about us enough to give us a chance to establish a team, or give us opportunities. they are all quick to assume we have no chance to win anything. if this guy is willing to stick around, let him stay, because what we need more than a positive roll model is someone who will stay, and will show us they believe in us enough to establish out team. i would rather have someone who lied on his resume that is willing to stay *ANY DAY* over a new person every year who didn’t lie on his resume

I have a resume gathered over 35 years of employment. I have had many computers during this time and had to rebuild the CV. If you asked me where I worked in 1991, I would have to go back to my resume to remember/answer. Unless I STILL HAVE MY PAYSTUBS. I played soccer for a semi-pro team but can’t remember what years. I played in the industrial baseball leagues in Virginia affiliated with the Cubs system, but I cannot remember for the life of me what year/summer that was. I tried out for a professional baseball team in high school. That year I remember. I stunk, not even close.
I now coach young men. If you did that, you would remember. Mr. Williams does that. He will never forget.
Perhaps he wants it more than you don’t want him to have it.

This is a tough ethical debate…I’m on the fence, and then I see what the kids think about the situation. They want someone that will stick with them, some to rally around. If Mr. Williams is the guy that everyone thinks will do this, then hire him. The students know that he is an accomplished football player. The fact that Mr. Williams embellished on his resume doesn’t take away his accomplishments or knowlege about life/football. The kids are going to look to Mr. Williams for what he has accomplished, what he knows, and his leadership, not some embellishments on his resume.

i want to thank james allen and his staff. He should win an award for uncovering in 3 hours what a 15 person “blue ribbon” panel and incompetent athletic director who most definitely did not do their jobs!!Under kathy ryans tenure for this football program it has been a disgrace. coach burke and coach porcelli have both been named times union head coaches of the year by your paper. these 2 gentlemen are respected coaches who know the game. she personally ran both of these guys off. this is truly a sad day in the lives of the athletic roller coaster called albany high. Who were the 15 blue ribbon committee members who interviewed this guy in middle january? In 3 months time, Kathy ryan(thats her job)none of these people bothered to check if this guy was in 6 different NFL camps. this isnt tryouts guys, he said he was in training camp! big difference, actually a huge difference! google the replacement team of the washington redskins of 1987 where he claimed he played for. sorry his name is not in there, this is fantasy land led by an inept and incompetent athletic director. would someone please please please transfer her to an elementary school and let a real sports person get the job. albany has atleast 8 or 9 qualified phys ed people who are albany born and bred who can do her job and actually wanted her job.albany has an athletic director who is thoroughly out of touch with this population of kids and will do everyone a favor and ask for a transfer. this will now be the 5th coach in 4 years!!what an embarassment!! I hope someone with some insight will make the necessary change that these kids so desperately need

Each day, I am more and more thankful for the ridiculously minor incidents deemed to be important or newsworthy, thus affording opportunity to people who always have done the right thing, have never lied or ever even ran a red light, to get on yet another pulpit and pound on someone they don’t know or speak on an event or subject they know nothing about. In this case, the victim is someone who is trying to do something positive for a school attended by kids most respondents don’t care a thing about. This man wants to coach HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. He is not coaching at the almighty “Golden Dome”. Yet, because of some embellishments, now may not have the chance to do so. The majority of the responses, especially from those who know him, say he would do a good job. If I was involved in the process, that would be a major factor. Not the verbal twist of an immaterial event. The rest of you (and the “Times Union”) are pulling on your moral compasses and turning this minor matter into a soap opera arc. What could have possibly piqued the curiosity of the “TU” to request a copy of this man’s resume and “investigate” this obscure matter?

The fact that he opened room for interpretation of the phrases “in training camp” or “on the team” is essentially immaterial. We don’t know if he clarified the extent of his “experience” in his interviews. He may very well have. Regardless, job “coaches” have their clients doing so every day. (One doesn’t check the math on a spreadsheet. They “evaluate the integrity of system generated financial output”.) Did this man attract enough interest from a team to have him be evaluated? Apparently so! I know of plenty HS coaches who say they were with this team or that team. Did it always mean the same thing? The answer is no but is it really something to worry about? George O’Leary will forever be mentioned as the gold standard of what not to say on your resume. However, the chips were a little different in that matter. Notre Dame had to protect their image, was giving him a huge budget to manage and maybe more importantly had to protect their contributions from those who might feel “morally worthy of casting the first stone”. If he had actually coached there and won two national championships, would anyone have cared? It would have been sticky for ND but he probably would have survived. I’m curious as to why James Allen included a Williams’s quote from a 1991 TU article where he stated “just to say that I was there, just to say to a little kid that I used to play with this pro team”. Is it to infer that a conspiracy on his part was hatched way back when he was what, about 24? Did he know then that he’d do anything for that $2000 stipend 20 years later? What comes next, a Robert Gavin expose on his “football career boasting” activities as a correction officer? Did he tell the inmates he was with the Firebirds too? If so, for how long did he indicate? What if we can find someone who will state in return for a lenient sentence, that this man said he “played” with “Downtown” Eddie Brown, but didn’t specify it was in try-outs. (For that matter, why do we call Eddie Brown “Downtown”? As far as I know, he lived in Latham when he was here because he helped at Shaker. There’s no downtown there!)

I seriously hope this gentleman gets the job ASAP. The longer it goes the stupider it will look. The bigger problem here is the selectiveness of what is important or forgivable by society at large. It’s interesting that this “charge” has garnered so much attention. I’m not going to try and quash your opinions but to those who want this poor man skewered, let me ask a few questions (which could make for a good poll.):

1) Goldman Sachs was in the news today, charged with fraud by the SEC. How does this matter stack up to that?

2) What about those “hero” pro players who beat or cheat on their wives? Is your opinion based on the prospect of a Super Bowl this year? What if one of them was coming to your son’s school? Would you keep him home that day and risk his anger? (I doubt it.)

3) What about a coach who gets arrested for DWI or for assault of his girlfriend but retained his coaching assignment after pleading guilty and paying a fine? How does an embellishment on a resume stack up to those situations? Would you take your kid off the team or ask for a new gym class if the coach was also his gym teacher?

In the end, I hope this is a sorely needed rallying point for the AHS football program and for the people of the city. To those of you who responded I ask just this: no matter the outcome, get out and support this team by going to their games. Get to Bleeker and pay the $3. Like me, most of you took the time to respond to something which is of no consequence in our world. Some of you obviously have something on the line here but you would be a friend, family member or player. I hope to see Mr. Williams on the sideline calling plays this year and beyond.

#75 Jim, the point isn’t what you don’t remember. He could very easily have at the bottom of his resume “attended several NFL try-outs, including team x, y and z.” In fact, he didn’t have to offer the information at all with the coaching experience he had. He is listing it to “distinguish” his resume from others seeking the job. If you want to distinguish yourself or take credit for the accomplishment, it should be factual, regardless of how many computers you have had. Suggestion: always keep a printed verson!

#77 “in the know” — do you know for a fact whether this was Ryan’s decision? Or was it the higher-ups at AHS?

#74. I feel for you and your teammates. Hopefully this will all be resolved quickly.

Truth, honesty, integrity….all terms that OUR society used to adhere to and hold as core values. These principles and other ethical ideals were passed down from parents to children; enforced by the parents with both positive and negative reinforcement “acts” and behavior.
As our society became more sophisticated and progressive; as advocates of social reform lauded their idealistic “proofs”, the fabric of our society gave way to a more convoluted, ignoble lifestyle and beliefs.

Here is a person that is lying / misrepresenting / embellishing / exaggerating on official documentation that he is utilizing to acquire a job where he will be coaching and teaching children; and there are many of you that find “no fault” in what he did.
Better yet, phrases like “first class, top notch man (come on, that’s like ‘the pot calling the kettle black’ or you don’t remember how you both were with Town of Clifton Park community sports)”, “very positive…role model”, “everyone lies on resumes”, and “right qualities to steer our young men in the right direction” are just a few notable quotes that are being buffeted around to describe him and his actions.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Here’s another notable quote that the City of Albany School Board should say to the hiring of this person, and that is “JUST SAY NO”!!
Have the audacity to show the youth (don’t know about the “adults”) of Albany that there are consequences for your actions; that “truth, honesty, and integrity” are still part of society’s foundation and vocabulary …and are distinctly evident and on display in the City of Albany schools!

One last item, take a look at Boy’s Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, Boy’s Swimming, Boy’s Basketball, and Boys Bowling (just to name a few of the Boy’s sports) and all I see is “stand-outs”(as in 5 Track team members and Basketball player Jeremic Bennett being named area ‘all-stars’); “scholar athletes” (as in Basketball player Owen Daniels); “team scholar athlete recognition” (as in Boy’s Track, Basketball, Bowling, Swimming), just to name some of the Albany High School Boy’s Athletic programs and their recognition of excellence.
Get Albany High School administrators, coaches, Booster club personnel, School Board officials, community parties that support the program, past and present players and decide…., FIRST, whether Football should even have a program at the High School. Tough question to face, but all these other athletic programs are flourishing at Albany High, IS THERE ENOUGH INTEREST, DRIVE, AND DEDICATION FOR A FOOTBALL PROGRAM?!

I gotta tell you all…this is absurd. I have known Robbin for almost 20 years and he is a great guy. I played football with Robbin, I worked with Robbin, I even helped coach with Robbin on a volunteer basis. Robbin HAS had tryouts with several teams, he HAS been at camps with several teams, he WAS a replacement player during the strike, he HAS coached at all the places he listed. The problem is that the actual language used may have been misunderstood.

#77-There are “tryouts” in the NFL however those tryouts are called “Camps” so yes Robbin was in NFL training camps. I was invited back in 1993 or 94 (see even I dont remember exactly) to a rookie camp in the NFL. I was unsigned, therefore it was a tryout, but it is a CAMP.

#71 Roger-If you knew anyything about High School or College coaching you would know that Robbin and any other coach at those levels have their Certification. This certification includes many things including first aid/cpr, philosophies of coaching, dealing with young men and women, etc. Coaches are much more than people who roam the sidelines. They are mentors, father(mother) figures to many student athletes (especially those in an “inner city” environment like Albany), they deal with teachers on a daily basis to help students in the classroom, they organize referees, buses, meetings and spend endless hours watching films, preparing scouting reports, etc.

I remember when I coached at a Section 2 high school in the mid 90′s and practice ended at about 6pm. We were in the locker room as coaches until about 730pm. As I was driving home, I saw a player of mine walking down a busy road. I pulled up to him and asked where he was going. He said home. He lived on the border of the district which encompasses a huge area. He had been walking for over an hour after 6 1/2 hours at school and nearly 3 hours of practice. I offered him a ride that day but he said he was almost home. I told him I would drive him home any day if he needed. He asked me to pick him up at the store down the street from the school because he didnt want the other kids to know that his family couldnt afford a car. It broke my heart to see this….This is what coaches deal with on a daily basis!!! And now we are going to question whether a guy like Robbin, who would CARRY a player home if he had to, played for the firebirds in 1992 or 1993?? Or whether he spent 2 days in a camp or a week??? Come on.

I spoke to Robbin at the TU Center during the basketball playoffs last month and he was so excited about getting called back in for a second interview for this job. He also told me that he was afraid he might not get the job because he doesnt work in the school district. Obviously, the panel felt he was the best candidate and that is why he was hired. Good for Robbin and GREAT for Albany high and the student athletes there. The only problem now will be, if he is hired, the media coverage could be a distraction to his team. Luckily it is early enough to hopefully put it all behind them and get on with their season by the time August rolls around.

Hire Robbin. He didnt lie or mislead. The people who think he did obviously dont know the terminology used by players at those levels, or those people dont realize that it is possible for someone to mix up the years 1992 and 1993…it happens. Some people need to get off their high horses and take it down a few notches and realize this is a man who wants to help kids!! Anyone bother to find out what the head football coach at Albany makes???? If you did you know he sure isnt in it for the money!!!

To me the TIMES UNION made it impossible to hire him now. If he was not exposed to the public for exagerating on his resume (MUCH LIKE EVERYONE DOES TO AN EXTENT),about playing experiance mind you…not coaching, then we’d never know and he’d be a good candidate to try.

But now that he is “outed” he will never be able to garner the respect and trust of the kids that is more important for teaching them life lessons than winning football games. Some kid he is pushing hard would always be able to pull out the “liar card” and undermine his authority.

Essentially he, along with the TU reporter who obviously cares too much about irrelavent exagerations, cost him any further coaching opportunitirs. I guess you need to put the blame on Williams for making the claims, but in the end if it wasn’t reported there most likely would be NO HARM DONE to him, the school, or the players, because from the sound of it he can coach.

The fact that he would be working with high school kids makes it MORE important that he is a person of character, integrity and honesty. The words “embellished” and “exaggeration” are being thrown around – it’s LYING! If he has lied about this, what else has he or will he lie about? It is correct that his playing experience is insignificant relative to his knowledge of the game. But since when does knowledge of the game become more important than character and integrity??? The people who believe this are what is wrong with this situation.

I understand the concern people have with the information presented in the news story. I only know Robin from years ago when he volunteered to coach my son’s youth basketball team in Clifton Park. At that time, the league required that the team have an independent coach who did not have a child on the team (and of course for no pay). I really thought he did a great job coaching and had a great way with the kids. He knew how to motivate them and gain their respect and showed them how to have fun while doing it. He ALWAYS treated the kids with respect and never lost his cool. I recall many of the parents commenting how lucky we were to have him.

So, while I recognize the issues that others are having with the items on the resume, I can honestly tell you that in spite of those issues, I would gladly have Robin coach my son in any sport.

I have no vested interest. I haven’t seen Robin in a number of years, but felt the need to give some support to someone who supported and helped a number of youths in the area……

#81 is on the money-nothing can be said better than Todd.
Great job , why is noone listening to You and Rob’s past Coaches-because they do not want to hear the truth. It’s easier to be like the sour – I did not get the job i wanted – #77 I know the truth (according to me ) . The schoolboard will do the right thing and HIRE Robbin as it is the right thing . I am sure channel 3 will balk at doing AHS football games this season !!!

#80- I guess ” truth fears no questions” other than hiding behind a pen name. I used my own real name and as You claim to know Me then You know I stand behind all my friends -guess maybe You do not have any, so keep on attacking from the bushes !!

There is a coach/teacher already employed in the school district that tell lies and his lies effect kids.I understand the trust issue and for that reason my kids and I don’t trust the district because they demostrated to us that their employee can lie on a kid and nothing happens.What example did that set? This issue with Mr. R. Williams is not that serious.It is a personal issue and I think it wouldn’t have any affect on those kids.From what I’m reading, there was no lie.Just misunderstanding of the facts.I had facts and proof a certain coach lied and no one had these type of comments to make.So ready to stand up for him and overlook his lies.I don’t think you should classify Mr. Williams as a liar.
And for the “Corrections officers” are liars comment. I have been C.O. for almost a decade and have never lied to or on anyone.I had my “the check is in the mail” moments.Times are hard.There can be liars everywhere ,in every postion.

As a former Albany high football player and member of the championship team of 1981 and graduate from the class of 1982. I was sadden to read about yet another fiasco coming from the the athletic department at Albany High.

During Ms. Kathleen Ryan’s tenure she dismissed 2 coaches of the year in football. Her first hire she bypassed successful basketball coaches from within to hire someone of limited experience and none as a head coach. She could not wait to take bows over this hire and then make herself scarce when the Coach was forced to resign in disgrace after one season. That should have been the foretelling of more problems to come.

To hire a football coach Albany had to appoint a blue ribbon panel, why? The answer to that is obvious the AD is not capable of doing the job she was hired to do and furthermore accepts none of the responsibility. This left higher administration to sit this panel to do her job.

Who were these 15 blue ribbon committee members that interviewed candidates? I can see this blue ribbon panel took their work serious. While they were a committee not one of these distinguished members or administration checked to see if Mr. Williams was actually on any of the 6 NFL pre season teams he listed on his resume? I mean I am sure you can easily Google this information.

I am proud to have been a member of what was once a revered and respected athletics program as are many of my lifelong friends. We once again are united in the thoroughly embarrassment we share in witnessing the depths our athletics programs have fallen because of the incompetence of the current administration.

In closing, there is only one common denominator through all of the recent troubles in the athletic department;poor leadership from an administration that is thoroughly out of touch with the community and ill equipped to do the job. Its time for a change Albany beyond a new football coach. I only hope the school board has the vision and the backbone to see it as well.

#77-There are “tryouts” in the NFL however those tryouts are called “Camps” so yes Robbin was in NFL training camps. I was invited back in 1993 or 94 (see even I dont remember exactly) to a rookie camp in the NFL. I was unsigned, therefore it was a tryout, but it is a CAMP.

To #81 tryouts in the NFL have never been or never will be called training camps! your boy lied and got caught, it doesnt make him a bad guy it makes him a liar. if you were ever in a pro camp you would know the difference between a tryout (40yd dash etc) then actually suiting up and participating. these are not embellishments these are not little lies, these are outstanding gross innaccurate statements. he would have gotten the job if he didnt lie, he never played for the firebirds but was on their first team in 1992??? anyone can google search and see it was 1990. redskins, browns, this is all hilarious nonsense!

Just to let everyone know the AD has nothing to do with this. She did not want this guy in the first place. The building principal is responsible for this. I think James needs to look into this guy as well. James you would be surprised to see what you would find when you do a little digging about the building principal at Albany High. Cannot believe they hired this guy. This situation with the football coach was the best thing to happen to this district because it can not allow anymore people that have a shady past. If any news outlet were to ever look into some of the hires this school would be shut down. Check into the building principal Dr.McCalla!!!

I agree but both him and ryan should go they are both know nothings. the mcalla guy is a sneaky dude. you know there was only one reason why he wanted robbin williams and we all know why. joe dipiazza is a teacher in the district and wanted the job but pulled out because he sees the politics at work. why have 2nd interviews? when in the heck has albany high ever had second interviews for a coaching job? its news to me, plus the dipiazza guy is a teacher in the district and by district policy the job is his if he wants it and also corbitt interviewed and he is phys ed but this mcalla guy has a secret agenda and lets all thank dr coluciello. he stands to make 170 grand this year plus his 80k retirement money so lets see , yeah he is making a quarter of a million dollars at 72 yrs old. would ya just retire already!

The AD had nothing to do with it!????????????????????? why even have an AD if she has nothing to do with the hirings of potential coaches? As a former albany alumnist what is happening to my former school??!?!?!?!?

Falcon and James Miller are correct! Kathy Ryan has nothing to do with this hire. The Mcalla guy is getting whatever he wants and this is on him. That is pretty scary for Albany High because people would be calling for this guys job if they knew. James, Falcon is correct you would have a better story once you find out about this principal. Cannot believe he was hired in the first place. James you did a great job reporting this. Keep up the great work!

The only comment I have about this is… I have alot of ex-NFL friends and have been around them when they hung around their ex-NFL teammates. When they spoke of games, tryouts, training camps, ota’s, etc. They knew the EXACT months days and especially the years they did these things. From total experience of being lucky enough to know these guy, the guys who did ANYTHING that represented the Shield of the NFL they KNOW FOR SURE when and what they did!! Its too special a time in life for a dedicated football craftsman NOT to be CERTAIN of times served of any capacity while employed OR entertained by a team in the National Football League. The only excuse in my book would have to be maybe short to long term memory lost due to his participation in the sport of football. I have seen players with this diagnosed due to playing the game. I feel like this isn’t the case though. If he lied its not good for the kids, PERIOD!!

Robbin is a great coach. And that what this should be about COACHING! Who cares what he did as a player. If Albany High is just hiring him because he played for this team or that team, and did not check his coaching references than they are crazy. Look at MAgic Johnson – one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA, and one of the worst coaches ever. Success on field as a player does not equal success as a coach. If Albany High checked his references with all the places he has coached, and they turned out okay, then why does where he played or how many days he was with a team even matter. He had tryouts, just getting a tryout with a pro sports team is quite impressive and more than 99% of the people in the world will ever get

#90 Jeff-Again as I said previously you are wrong!! 40 yrd dash, bench press, shuttle runs etc. are not called tryouts in the pros, those are called “workouts”. Many players have workouts for teams, many players youve never even heard of and names that the teams they worked out for dont remember the next day. There are several different types of camps in the NFL, AFL, CFL, etc. Rookie Camps, Free Agent camps, Training camps, etc. Robbin was in the “camps” he listed. Did he attend a month long “training camp” like the Giants hold at SUNY?? No, not all of them, but that wasnt his claim. He said he was incamps with 6 pro teams…and he was. Will those teams have a record of him coming in if he was never under contract?? Some will some may not, you need to understand the inner working of it before you comment.

As I said in my earlier post, We are arguing semantics, not lies. The way the Times Union interprets the resume is different than you or I may. the fact is there may not be a way to prove or disprove, in writing or other, what Robbin has said. I think there are enough posts on here that show the type of guy he is and how he has helped other kids and parents at the places he has coached before. That is what should be looked at not how long he spent at a camp, tryout, or on a roster.

On another note…the whole “if you are a teacher in the district you should get the job” needs to go out the window. This is just a personal opinion but by that “rule” you are saying that a guy who may have coached at the NFL level and decided to leave and move to another area as a retiree but has now decided that he wants to help out the local high school should not be hired because some science teacher wants to make an extra $3000 and try to coach football which they have never played or coached in their life!! This example may be extreme but you get my point. You need to hire the most qualified person for the job, no matter where they work!! If a guy has the availability to make a commitment and is qualified whats the difference what his day job is??

And in case you are wondering, yes, I was passed up for a Head Coaching job in Section 2 because the school hired a teacher that was already in the district and I was, ironically enough, a Correction Officer at the time. I was much more qualified as a coach than that teacher was, but I, along with the football program, suffered at the hands of a ridiculous policy.

Todd, I would bet you $50 that every NFL team keeps a record of who comes in, whether its for “workouts”, “tryout” or “camp”. If Robbin or any of these players were to get injured at a workout/tryout/camp, you better believe the team knows who is there on what day and for what purpose. Potential medical bills or the like, would make you know who’s on your fields.

You have semantics, the rest of us do know the basic, a Lie = a Lie

I do appreciate you owning up to your skewed viewpoint, having been passed over for a coaching position due to political circumstances.

Todd you have no idea what you are talking about. you are probably an old coaching or playing buddy with robbin williams. lets clarify something he said he was in “camp” everyone knows a workout is different from camp. if he was good enough he would get signed and then go to training “camp”. you are wrong , the times union did check with the nfl teams robbin claimed to have played for and no one, i mean no one remembers his name so those are called lies. aNd yes everyone remembers when they workoued out for certain teams, they didnt forget the next day like you claim! robin williams is in fantasy land he was in zero nfl training camps. please have robbin provide the proof. his claim according to his resume and by the times union that he was in training camp, how do you forget what is on your resume?? thats your lifes work you dont forget what you did in the past.he was not in camps with 6 pro teams… When you are in training camp you are signed and you had received a signing bonus. come on man give me a break!there is no inner working of it. period. according to the times union he was in camp, for a week with the albany firebirds in 1991, got cut, had a quote and that was it. the bottom line is if the guy would have just posted his college and coaching credentials that would have been enough but because he felt inadequate and the need to add on that he was some nfl camper or arena football roster player, thyen for that he does not get the job and its time for him to move on i wish the guy well

Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion. That being said, why is it that the opinion of those of you who only know the basics of this story (that the TU said he lied on his resume) feel the need to pass judgment on this man. A man that has MANY people who actually KNOW him and KNOW the extent of his career, singing his praises. It seems there are people who have crossed Mr. Williams path in many different capacities coming to his defense. Yet, those of you who have tunnel vision cannot see past the TU article claiming HE LIED! Are we not supposed to assume someone innocent until proven guilty?? Maybe, just maybe. no one will ever be able to find documented proof of his experience (because of the aforementioned lack of records if no contract was signed). Does that prove that he “lied”, or does it mean we should just take the man’s word for it and let him coach and move on to more serious issues within the district??

#104. “Mom”, we are taking his words. In quotes from Robbin to James Allen, he gives unfactual information (wrong years with Firebirds, wrong year as Redskin replacement player). He basically confirms the data on the resume James Allen acquired. I haven’t seen Williams say that James Allen misquoted him so, I don’t think its a stretch to believe that the errors James has pointed out and Robbin’s quotes are accurate.

If Mr. Williams would like to clear the air about the resume, the TU story, the discrepancies, etc, he is free to explain it to everyone right here.

Cleveland…many many years ago. And it was a free agent rookie camp. Unfortunately, never went due to getting hurt while working at the jail. And hung up the playing cleats at that time. I was actually scouted by one of their regional scouts while playing on the Mallers with Robbin. As I said, never worked out for me, as is obvious by where I am today!!!

However, that still brings me back to the point at hand…All of the negative feedback on here is from people that dont know Robbin, but its amazing how the people that do are defending him, including an old coach who spoke to some of these pro teams on Robbins behalf. As I said previously, I do think he should have been able to give more concrete answers about dates, etc. but the statements arent lies. and Dennis the only reason I am on his side is because I feel Robbin would do a great job with the kids at Albany.

Also, its amazing how some of the coaches that have been at Albany in the past few years couldnt win a game but are being looked at as martyrs! Nothing personal against any of them, they are all good coaches, but some people need to understand that it is time for a program like Albany to go in a different direction and Robbin, in my opinion only, is a good fit.

And John #103-1st I agree that there was no reason to even include his playing resume, he may still have got the job without it on there. 2nd-What i said was that TEAMS forget the next day if a guy comes into workout or free agent camp and is let go without signing, especially when you are talking almost 20 years ago.

After re-reading the article for about the 10th time that James Allen wrote it is apparent to me that some of the things in question are legit. However I still stand my ground on some of the things i said before, it may just be a matter of wording, for example, “Camp” or “training camp”…2 different things. A mini-camp or free Agent camp isnt training camp as we know it.

I guess the biggest question is why was his hiring put on hold if the final quote in the article in the TU by Albany School District spokesman Ron Lesko was “All of the pieces of the resume that directly related to the job as coach were checked thoroughly.” Apparently after doing their checking the panel felt Robbin was the right choice. And by that statement, even when presented with these questions by the TU, they feel they stand by their choice…well what happened to make them put the hiring on hold?

And, in case anyone wants to check and make sure Im not “lying” about playing for the Mallers we were actually called the Chiefs and the Thunder at the time. It was the Maller franchise which moved to Troy, and then we moved back to Albany. God forbid I dont give the exact info! thank god this isnt my resume!!!

Everyone who is saying “his playing experience doesn’t matter” – we are not saying it does. What we ARE saying is the fact that he lied about it (no – not exaggerate or embellish – LIED). If he had been to six training camps and played for two years (as he stated – not one month) I am sure we would have heard of him. And noone cares if you played for the MetroMallers

No one can resurrect this program. The majority of these kids do not respond to discipline or ANY kind of structure.Most of them have no father figures and are running with gangs, selling drugs, or rapping their lives away.This is a hopeless situation because these kida and their parents {parent} just don’t care anymore.

To Reginald #109 Are you seriously that short sighted to believe your comment?? I happen to have met and actually know the majority of the kids that played football for AHS last year and your opinion of who they are and what they do is absolutely incorrect. What do you think it takes for a kid to stick with a team that has lost every game in two years?? They are devoted and passionate about the game of football. If they were doing all the other things you described, they couldn’t be bothered with keeping the academic requirements to stay on the team. Or be able to go to practice every day after school or to games once a week. You’re truly what is wrong with society today. Due to the fact that Albany High has inner city youths attending, they must all be drug dealing gangsters. A LOT of these kids come from two parent, working, respectable families (regardless of color). These are good kids. In my opinion these kids are the best AHS has to offer because the have the heart and tenacity to keep trying. What they need is the leadership to take them to the next level and that would be Mr. Williams. I hope the decision makers at AHS are going to do the right thing and stick with THEIR decision to hire Robbin Williams!!!

The “lying” about playing for the mallers comment was a joke John….as it relates to the issue here. And as far as a neverwasbeen…you are correct, I wasnt trying to make myself look a certain way, I was just answering a question honestly. And I’ll stop defending Robbin when people who dont know him stop tearing him apart. I do agree with you however that it might not be a bad idea for Robbin to make a statement at least to help clear the air a little.

1 other thing…when you are typing a comment in this box, look at the top of it and read where it says comments with personal attacks will be rejected. Hasnt this whole thing been a personal attack??? No matter the reason or what people believe is the reason,deserved or not, it has been an attack.

#89 – Thank you for the comment regarding the athletic director of Albany HS. I have a relative that felt that womans raft. You are right on the money with the other administrators too. They stick like glue. As for Williams, if he can improve the performance of the Falcons then give him the opportunity to succeed.

The hiring committee apparently did not take their job seriously. There are flaws, lies, gaps and inconsistencies in Mr. Williams’ resume. It took the Times Union staff and not the hiring committee to discover this. Keep in mind:
Asked if anyone on the search committee checked Williams’ resume, Lesko (district’s spokesman) said, “All of the pieces of the resume that directly related to the job as coach were checked thoroughly.”
Mr. Lesko: I don’t think so.

Secondly, Mr. Williams is not employed by the Albany City School district. Coaching positions should be filled by qualified district employees. If this is not stated in the teachers’ contract then it should. A district teacher and former (successful) baseball coach applied for the football coaching position and then removed his name from consideration. I would like to know why. This is not the first time someone outside the district has been hired for a coaching position.

Albany High School does not need to hire another fraud.

Rocky Balboa aka William Malatesta (retiree (2006) after 32 years of employment at Albany High School)

#110 Reginald, how dare you say that about these kids who have played on the football team for the past couple years!!! How many of them do you know? How many of them have you ever even had a conversation with? Albany gets its bad reputation because of PEOPLE JUST LIKE YOU!!!!

I personally know Robbin williams….and I rememeber how enthused he was as a young man persueing his dream…football. I believe he would be an excellant coach…he has not given up on his dream just taken it in a new direction…helping others acheive their dreams….I just did a resume class and they took my plan old resume and turned it into a work of art using word play…they said with the way the economy is now your resume has to catch a potential employers eye…word play is not a crime or a lie…

What is needed now is to find out who has the final say on hiring .
I would think it would be the Human Resource Dept , this where you put in your application and also they are the ones who handle the fingerprint cards and back round checks for all applicants . It is also important to find out who were the interviewers for the final interviews ,these are the ones who submitted Mr Williams name to be hired ,if they were not given ALL the information gathered prior to the interview they had no way of knowing who we would be getting .
If this in fact is the case then due dilligence was not done in regards to the applicants qualifications .If the candidates for the position were properly screened and researched then the problem is much larger . This circumstance would lead one to beleive that a cover-up was in place . Thanks to the T.U. and the reporter for exposing this , it is hard to beleive this is a one time thing .
Mr Williams needs to clear this mess up by being completely truthful
and setting the record straight , and after that we he should be judged ,this should not eliminate him from the position . In addition the T.U. should continue to look into the hiring practice of the school district ……….imagine if this has been going on for years
we could have incompetents , perverts and and criminals walking our halls with authority status .

Sorry to let you know this has been going on for years. They have been giving jobs to people that do not belong in the education field based on their past. The principal there now should of never been hired because of the things he did but somehow he was hired and people think he is joe clark. If James does not get him I am positive some other news outlet will expose this bum

This is absolutely ridiculous. It seems that Mr. Allen reported on what he believed to be inconsistancies in Mr. Williams resume. Mr. Williams coaches for those years say he did in fact attend the camps Mr. Williams says he attended, and that he was with him.

It seems to me that Mr. Williams is not a liar and is guilty of being a poor resume writer. I cannot for the life of me, understand why people are castigating Mr. Williams as the last time I knew, he was not applying to be an English teacher at AHS.

I do believe Mr. Williams wants to tell his side of what happened, and I believe he will do so though maybe not in this venomous forum.

A personal note to the writer, #80, who says he or she knew both the Mr. Williams’s from CP sports, I have a few comments. I too, know them both to be caring,enthusiastic men who gave a ton of their free time for no pay and lousy hours, for years to help the youth of Clifton Park. I have personally seen the dedication and committment that it taken to help build the community. The amount of time and money these men have poured into those programs is unbelievable. I am NOT a relative of either men,but I am extemely proud to call both my friends. I am the mom of two sons who played many sports from baseball to football to hockey,and soccer. I am proud and honored to have them in my sons lives. How cowardly for you to take such cheap shots behind your name of “Truth fears no questions”…well if you don’t see the irony of your hiding behind your pseudonyme, well perhaps you should stick to something you know, like bushwacking unsuspecting victims with your shopping cart at CCM.

Well this is the first and last time ever I will read or reply to something like this. I learned a great lesson here. Many people don’t care what they say about others – especailly hiding behind pen names,I signed my name throughout and feel everyone should have to also, but like everything written here thats just MY “opinion ” and You know what they say about opinions! Everyone has one!
It was interesting to learn all aspects of this situation from every party involved. But it was very sad to read the attack’s on everyone involved in this situation including those who just wrote an opinion . Hard to believe that old saying that people are generally good after reading some of the ” opinions ” here.
I guess I can’t say Thank You for the education just ‘ sorry ‘ I had to learn what a lot of people are really like –kind of like “opinions ” in that old time saying.
Good Bye and Good luck many of You need it.

See George O’Leary at Notre Dame or Reggie Fowler’s attempt to purchase the Minnesota Vikings.
O’Leary embellished his resume with doctoral work that he never completed and Fowler claimed to have been a former NFL player.

Albany needs a Coach who will be a galvinizing member of the AHS Community. The students, parents and district all should be involved in hiring an appropriate Coach. It is these attitudes and comments in this blog which interfere with a positive move towards hiring a new coach.
The real issue is that you can’t satisfy everyone, so the priority should be the athletes. They deserve more from the Administration and other district people who are in volved in the hiring process. Our students are a unique group but have real bacic needs for the positive development of team, self,and life skills which are what we get from participation in team sports.
Good luck to all those involved in repairing this process.

THE TRUTH is: not everyone lies on their resume. Liars lie on their resume. If you lie on your resume then you are a liar.
Robin enhanced the truth (a form of lying) to make it sound like he did more. Unfotunatley those tryouts, workouts whatever they were played no role in his hiring, but lying about anything will stop someone from hiring you.
A great way for a new head coach to start is to immediately be humbled and enter the job having to prove himself to everyone including the kids that he will coach. he will need to earn respect and he will.
He certainly did have workouts with each of those teams. THE TRUTH is their are many players who were nowhere near as good as Robbin who had just as many workouts. Jim Baker saw Coach Williams’ workouts.
THE TRUTH is: we are all good with what has transpired. It is not as if he is walking into a great situtation. His consequence for enhancing the truth on his resume…. Head Coach of Albany High Football. That is THE TRUTH

As far as I can see, the trouble is not that he lied on his resume, it’s that he got caught. Now, it’s more about what comes next. And let’s face it, if the guy stays and delivers a winning season for Albany, all will be forgiven.

It’s a sad day when we say “it’s just a little lie”, or that it’s “okay” that someone lied, especially when that individual will be dealing with young impressionable minds. What message does that send? If this individual is that great of a coach like some folks have attested to here, then why lie or embellish your record? Have the guts to let let the real acheivements and character speak for itself, unless of course that is what the coaching candidate is worried about.

He who has never exaggerated, embellished or stretched the truth please come forward. Yes, he was a bit dishonest but let’s not get carried away people. Why did this have to be publicize? Couldn’t the school handle this in-house?? I say hire the Track coaches who have an excellent program. Coach Star has football coaching experience.

128 & 130 your missing the point. It always starts with just bending the truth “a little”…and how does it normally end up. It is about merit, honesty and trust. If he is great a person as many have written in this blog then that should have been enough to sell those who need to make the decision. As a parent… are we not trying to teach the same principles to those students who are also the football players?

Is there really such a thing as a “bit” dishonest? I mean seriously? So when IS it a big deal to be a “bit” dishonest, embellish, or flat out lie? If you were a candidate for the position would you still be saying, so what, he was only a “little” dishonest? If the candidate for the position is truly a man of character and integrity, which is the type of person we would all like teaching or coaching our children, then there would be no need at all to be a “bit” dishonest. Before you even get to the coaching part of the review process, I would think character would be a major factor, and people of character and integrity DON’T lie, not even a “little bit”.

Sure, I’ll tell you why Robbin is the right fit for Albany High based on firsthand experience of him as a coach in a middle school youth football league, a youth basketball league and a youth baseball league. He knows the game of football. He is an excellent teacher of the game – both strategy and technique. (And yes, he put in a fairly complex offense for a middle school league.) He commands the respect of his players while at the same time relating well to them. He has great passion for the game of football. His committment and dedication to his players is second to none. He brings out the best in his players – they genuinely like him and want to play well for him. I have seen him coaching firsthand in at least 5 different seasons and I cannot recall ever hearing him yell at a player or a referee, official or umpire.

I would never presume to speak for African-Americans about what is important to them or their sons, but it seems to me that there is a lack of diversity in the high school coaching ranks. That alone is not a reason to hire him but would be an added benefit of an otherwise outstanding hire.

I don’t know if Robbin “lied” on his resume (a conclusion to which many have been eager to jump based on limited information) because I have not seen his resume and don’t know the details of his professional football contacts. As far as I know, Robbin was never one to go around boasting to his players or other adults about his professional experience.

In short, he is the right fit because he would be a great coach and a great mentor to the young men of Albany High. And I guarantee you he’ll win some games too!

Don’t know what the Board decided to do this evening – was working at my job.
However, it would be VERY hard for a teacher, advisor, coach, or anyone else to counsel a student to play straight if the District doesn’t avoid this problem. As adults, if we can’t identify lying on a resume (for the express, self-interested purpose of gaining outside income) as unacceptable, how can we possibly hold students accountable for forging hall passes, cheating on Regents, making things up on college applications, and the like? As a parent of a student athlete, I’d not have my child playing for someone with this casual approach to ethics and professionalism.
If, as some posters have suggested, this is the best AHS can do – well, perhaps we might save some money by foregoing football for a season or two? That would be regrettable, to be sure. But less regrettable than compromising standards of basic honesty and integrity to hire someone who (while surely admirable in SOME respects) would be a terrible role model for students on the football team and, by implication, students in the school.
Let’s get it straight: we may have budget problems, and the high school may not have the state’s best test-score rates – but we have not sold out on integrity yet… have we?
Thanks.

#138-If that rumor is true the hire Of John Chaney could be very interesting. John and Robbin Williams have known each other for a long time and played together for some years in the late 80′s and early 90′s. Im still a supporter of Robbin but Chaney wouldnt be a bad choice either.

Robbin would be a great fit for Albany high, hes worked with me many times on reading coverages, back peddling and everything associated with defense. His playing career should not be at question here, what should be looked at is his professional background, by that I mean jobs and his coaching experience which check out. Albany high would benefit so much from his experience. On a personal note there is no one other than my father and step father who I would trust more in this world, than Robbin. Rob is like a father to me and would be to the boys down at Albany high, he would hold their hands if needed or get in their face if that helps them become better football players and more importantly, better men. Robbin is what you look for in a role model, plain and simple. Just like Al Williams IL leave my real name on here, instead of hiding behind a screen name.

They should hire someone passionate about the school and the community….and that person is AHS alum Chris Poulopoulos (Coach POPS). A dedicated weight room coach with a great reputation with the kids. Just my thoughts!

I’ve seen Robbin in Clifton Park’s youth football program. He is great with his teams. Not only does he know the game, but he commands respect and shows it to his players. Albany High School would be lucky to have him as their coach.

I enjoy reading Jim Allen’s articles and watching the football games he works in the fall. I agree with his proper reporting of Robbin Williams’ false claims. He may have been a good coach, but it is more important that kids have a positive influence in their daily lives. Hopefully Mr. Williams will realize that an NFL resume is not important. What is important is being a good role model. Mr. Allen seems to genuinely enjoy reporting high school sports and has a positive impact on kids’ lives. Great Job Jim.

How come this coach is being run through the media circus when I haven’t read or heard anything published on any of the other Albany High coaches who didn’t last very long????? If the guy wants to coach he should be entitled to coach!